Troubleshooting Oracle Performance

The Oracle database engine has become a huge piece of software. This not only means that a single human can no longer be proficient in using all the features provided in recent versions, but it also means that some of them will rarely be used. Actually, in most situations, it is enough to know and take advantage of a limited number of core features in order to use the Oracle da- base engine efficiently and successfully. This is precisely why in this book I will cover only the features that, based on my experience, are necessary to troubleshoot most of the databa- related performance problems you will encounter. Structure of This Book This book is divided into five parts: Part 1 covers some basics that are required to read the rest of the book. Chapter 1, "Perf- mance Problems," explains not only why it is essential to approach performance problems at the right moment and in a methodological way but also why understanding business needs and problems is essential. Chapter 2, "Key Concepts," describes the operations carried out by the database engine when parsing and executing SQL statements. It also introduces some terms that are frequently used in the book. Part 2 explains how to approach performance problems in an environment that is based on the Oracle database engine. Chapter 3, "Identifying Performance Problems," provides a detailed analysis road map for identifying performance problems. Several tools and te- niques that can be used with it are also described.